Commercial fruit production in Oceana, Mason and Manistee counties account for more than 21,000 acres of fruit land in the state, according to the MSU Extension office.

Oceana County growers produce some of the 10,750 acres of tart cherries in that area and much of the 6,050 acres of apples.

Fruit growers this year are faced with a devastating frost issue -- something they dealt with in 2010 as well. A warmer than normal March prompted early budding on fruit trees and then the cold weather returned later in the month with temperatures in the 20s, experts said.

Amy Irish-Brown, the extension educator for commercial tree fruit producers in Kent, Ottawa, Ionia, Montcalm, Muskegon and Newaygo counties, said the problem is affecting most West Michigan growers.

“If (Oceana) is like it is here, I’m guessing they don't have a crop either,” Irish-Brown said of the Sparta area, where she recently visited fruit growers. “They have maybe 5 percent or 10 percent of their crop left and there is no point to tend to them and maintain that. There may be some variety of apples that survived, but it was pretty darn cold Friday morning and Sunday.”

Oceana County is home to two-thirds of the state’s asparagus production each year due to the area’s ideal climate and sandy soil that allows the crop to flourish.

“Asparagus crop had some damage, but a lot of the farmers weren’t that close to harvest. It’s probably a 15 percent loss at this time -- nothing like the fruit farmers are going to experience," said Norm Myers, senior extension educator for the MSU Extension office.

Schwallier said he will get a better feel for how bad things are in Oceana County once he meets with growers this afternoon.